A FUNDING application for £49 million to cut traffic congestion in and around Bromsgrove is to be submitted to the Department for Transport by Worcestershire County Council.
As Redditch commuters know well, the Western end of the Bromsgrove Highways can cause major delays as the road joins the A38 at the Oakalls Island.
That congestion is likely to increase too as building work gets underway on a massive 2,800 home development along the highway from Foxlydiate and Webheath.
The Outline Business Case to the DoT for significant investment would enable the County Council to deliver Phase 3 of the A38 Bromsgrove Route Enhancement Programme.
Councillor Alan Amos, cabinet member with responsibility for highways said: “The A38 is one of the most important and busiest roads in the county which suffers from heavy congestion at peak times leading to prolonged and unreliable journey times with subsequent environmental impacts.
“If nothing is done to address these issues, the situation will only get worse leading to more congestion.
“We received some valuable feedback from local residents and we have made revisions to two of the schemes within the programme.
“We had originally planned to close the junction of School Lane and the A38, (on the approach to the M42 island) however I have decided that we will keep School Lane open.
“We will instead only prohibit the right turn from the A38, given the need to keep traffic flowing and reduce congestion, both being key objectives of this scheme.”
The original proposals also included plans to construct a pedestrian and cycling footbridge to link the two severed ends of Old Station Road on either side of the A38 Bromsgrove bypass, which is on a direct line between the railway station and town centre.
However, the county council has paused the development of the bridge scheme whilst exploring the possibility of other options that could deliver the same objectives.
Further information about the improvements to the A38 in Bromsgrove, including a summary highlighting the key findings from the engagement exercise on the bridge scheme can be found at: www.worcestershire.gov.uk/A38BREP
